The Enigmatic Stranger
by eloquent08
Summary: Based on The Originals storyline. Klaus encounters a new girl in New Orleans, who for some reason attracts him, and seems to be able to read him, his mind and his heart. Could she be the one to understand the original hybrid? and help him feel loved and understood ? Klaus/OC
1. Chapter 1

_I really like TO, and of course Klaus's character. I did admire Klaroline in the beginning in TVD, but of late it lost its charm for me (No offences to admirers :) ). Hayley has been fitting better with Elijah and Cami seems pretty mad at him right now, and I don't really see how they'll make sense, so I just toyed with the idea of Klaus with a different absolutely new character. I'd heard Joseph Morgan say in an interview once that he's love to visit India sometime, so I made the other character have Indian roots _

_This is more of a one shot. Maybe if it's received well, might think of continuing.  
Published something like this for the very first time, so yeah I 'm pretty nervous, but do let me know your comments/feedback/suggestions. Hope it's a near decent effort. There are some amazing writers here. Happy reading _

It was towards the end of another day for Niklaus Mikaelson. He had spent his time scheming, plotting, compelling and threatening. He had been his diabolical self. Hayley was missing, Marcel finally had figured out his den, much to his dismay, Elijah had been taking over the control of the situations ever since his return, even Cami was seething at him despite the fact that he had kept his word. He was frustrated, angry and that made him all the more dangerous. But then this wasn't much further from just another normal day for him was it… This was how his life had been, for a millennium, action packed. It had to be like this especially now, when he was in the midst of a battle anyway, the ultimate battle of one-upmanship, of regaining what he had built, the battle for New Orleans, the battle for that 'thing', his unborn child.

Having laid out the blueprints of his next grand plans he was walking towards Rousseau's for a quick drink, before he headed home to join forces with Elijah and Rebekah.

She was kneeling on the sidewalk, trying to pick up the files that had strewn on the ground following a collision with a tourist too immersed in her camera. The tourist kept mumbling a string of apologies and she laughed lightly and said in a chirpy voice, -"It's okay, seriously, I am worse when I am taking pictures, trust me"

Klaus heard her acceptance of the apology and something caught his attention. He didn't quite know what it was that drew him, probably the accent, it was a very different accent, he couldn't even place it to a particular country/region. Or probably it was the small chortle of laughter she issued. It almost rang. The mere sound of her laughter slightly eased the immense pressure bubbling up inside that mind of his.

The girl had almost picked up all her things, and was now attempting to get up. She turned her face, which till now was completely hidden by a curtain of long black hair, and there was a breeze which ruffled the strands of her mane, and lifted the curtain partially. On her semi exposed face now, only her right eye was visible, but that was enough to stop Klaus in his tracks, who was about to turn around and enter Rousseau's by now.

She had the most captivating eyes the 1000 year old Original had ever seen in his considerable lifetime. They were huge, and deep. She had black eyes, like her hair, and they were framed by thick black natural lashes, fanning out. Even from a distance, Klaus could discern a spark in those eyes.

He walked upto the girl entranced and told her in his smooth cadence, -"You look like you could use some help love"

He was somehow very eager to see the girl. His brain was choc-a-bloc with a thousand other pressing matters, the primary being ensuring Hayley's safety, yet he lingered…

She got up and flicked all of her hair behind with her arm, and looking at him said, "That's very kind of you Sir, but I managed. Thanks anyway". She flashed a sincere smile, which Klaus returned.

-"You're new here"

-"It's that obvious is it?" she said and chuckled, and continued arranging her things in her bag.

Klaus smiled and kept gazing at her intently.

She had a rich brown skin tone, large luminous eyes, and delicate lips.

She was tiny in stature, not reaching beyond Klaus's shoulders, but there was something in her personality that made her seem towering. Even in silence she exuded a strange confidence.

She was clad in jeans, a white shirt that she paired with a blue waist-jacket and black boots, not that Klaus noticed her apparel though. He was too taken in by her face and her aura to notice anything else.

When she was done with her occupation with her strewn things, she looked up to find Klaus still standing there gazing at her with an intense expression in his eyes.

She took a moment to take in the man standing in front of her. He was tall, considerably taller than her, with wind-swept dirty blonde hair. He was lean but seemed muscular from beneath his grey T-shirt and black summer jacket. He seemed in the same age ball park, maybe an year or two older, little did she know how off her estimation was.

He had piercing blue eyes. Those were the first things she noticed. His eyes were passionate and were boring into her own now. The demeanour of this man was very attractive truth be told, but there was some instinct within her telling her he's dangerous, and that she should up her defences.

She smiled tentatively and looked at him with a slightly questioning expression.

That broke his trance and he regained his composure that was momentarily disturbed by this stranger girl.

-"Can I help you in any other way?"

She laughed lightly, and said

-"Thanks again, but I'll be okay. I'm waiting for a car to pick me up. This is where I was supposed to wait, it should be along in some minutes. I guess I'll just wait out here."

She proceeded to sit at one of Rousseau's outdoor tables. The day was sunny and pleasant and she'd love sitting there for a few moments, watching the sun paint the sky in light hues of orange, shining with whatever strength it had left, at the end of the day.

Klaus watched her walk over to a table and sit down. He didn't know why he wanted to talk to her a bit more, get to know who she was. She was enigmatic and he wanted to know who she was. But he didn't want to scare her or annoy her, and she had just politely refused his assistance. Prudent girl, he thought.

He was about to turn on his heel when he noticed a pearl earring lying at the edge of the road. Figuring it might be hers he walked over to the girl and asked her,

-"Is this yours? It was lying there."

Her hand automatically flew to her ears, and she realised she was indeed missing a piece. She stretched her hand out and smiled in gratitude,

-"Oh yes, it must have knocked off when I collided, Thanks a lot, for finding it Mr. …."

-"Oh you're welcome love, and the name is Niklaus Mikaelson, but you can call me Klaus"

-"Niklaus, German ?"

He laughed and then turned a bit serious for a fraction of a moment

-"No not really, actually I've lived in so many places now it's tough to say where I started from." He shrugged, and kept gazing into her eyes.

She felt his gaze, and it made her feel a bit strange, not intimidated but strange.

She contemplated for a brief moment and said

-"Interesting, um so listen, why don't you join me for a coffee while I wait for my car Mr. Mikealson, of course if you're not elsewhere occupied."

Klaus looked at her for a moment, as if trying to read her, and then returning to his chipper self said,

-"That would be charming now wouldn't it. Thank you Miss…"

-"Oh sorry, Natasha, Natasha Rai. And I'm not Russian by the way," she said with a mischievous chuckle.

Klaus laughed,

-"Where are you from then ?" he asked.

-"Oh I'm from India, but my parents settled abroad long ago, and have travelled, so I've been raised in many places, London, in my younger years, Paris, for a while, Geneva for a couple of years and then we've been in New York for the last 8 years. Many places… Much like you eh ?!" she teased sipping on her coffee.

'Oh you're nothing like me and you should be thankful for that'. Klaus soliloquised and wore a serious faraway expression for some seconds.

-"Are you okay? Did I say anything to offend you, I'm sorry, I…"

-"Oh not at all love, I just began recollecting the places I've been to"

-"So yeah, you're well travelled. That explains the accent I guess?" Klaus joked with a raised eyebrow

Natasha laughed heartily, and her laughter made Klaus smile the tiniest of smiles, but a spontaneous one…

-"Oh yeah. I've interacted with so many different people with such different accents that mine has become a cocktail itself."

They both laughed

-"You've been here a long time you said." She asked

-"Oh yes, I lived here once, long back. I've recently returned, you see there's a lot of unfinished business" Klaus nearly whispered the last part dramatically, with a suppressed smile

-"So what brings you here? to the Big Easy Natasha ? he asked opening his arms wide and motioning towards the expanse of New Orleans stretching before them

-"Well, I am a management consultant, and my firm recently took a client", "a particularly difficult client", she said the last part softly, almost to herself, knitting her eyebrows together for a brief second. "The case interested me, so I took it up, and here I am in New Orleans." She finished.

Klaus leaned in a bit across the round table and said -"Hmmm.. So I take it you like dealing with difficult people" with a mischievous glint in his eyes

Natasha leaned in too, and said softly but with panache, "Yeah it's a challenge, and I love challenges"

Klaus sat back and smiled looking at the girl, she was impressive. He was just about to say something else when a chauffeur drew upto them and asked Natasha, "er..Ms. Rai ? "

She looked up and nodded, to which the man said, -"Good evening Ma'am I've come with your ride. Sorry for the delay."

-"Oh it's okay, no worries. " she said with a smile and stood up.

Klaus also stood up and looked at her, wishing strangely that he could prolong this moment.

She looked at him and extended her hand for a shake saying-"Well It was nice meeting you Mr. Mikaealson"

-"And thanks for this" she beamed pointing towards her ear.

Klaus took her hand and said with a smirk,

-"The pleasure is all mine….Natasha"

-"Well, goodbye…" she waved and got into her car.

Klaus might just have felt a pang of regret at their conversation ending so soon, but the very moment, his self told him pointedly, she's just a human, lucky she didn't become lunch…  
Besides he had no business mingling with an inconsequential human right now. Besides his child and the girl carrying it were unsafe that very moment, his deceits around Marcel were crumbling, he should've been attending to these matters.

He felt an emotion nearly akin to guilt. Klaus wasn't used to feeling so, and here this girl and his momentary fixation with her had stirred up ever so slightly emotions in him he thought had ceased to exist.

"Damn you human girl" he thought to himself with a huff

With this thought Klaus headed back to his mansion, he had a lot to do…

But there was a minuscule part of him that wished, despite the situations and despite himself that he could see her again.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

_Thank you everyone for reading my first ever published words. It gave me a lot of confidence. I hadn't seriously planned on expanding this one beyond what I already posted, but a few things floated into my mind, and I wrote them down. This chapter will take place sometime after Klaus and Marcel's confrontation in 1x08. The storyline of the Originals is going great right now, and I really felt for Klaus in 1x07 when Elijah alleged he knew about his baby's abilities. Joseph Morgan's expressions were bang on… and that momentary vulnerability of Klaus did in fact inspire this chapter. Bear with me as it's a tad bit long. Hope you all enjoy reading it. Do leave your reviews, comments, suggestions, any ideas for going forward or any critique. Happy Reading _

Oh and… needless to say, the characters (ex the new ones), the premise and backgrounds all belong to the creators of The Originals.

It was a pleasant evening, with clear skies and a pleasing mellow breeze. She could feel the nip in the air. She liked it, since she was a baby. She liked to see her breath fog, she liked it when the cold air brushed against her face, with a slight sting, and she loved it when her nose-tip turned red almost instantly. She laughed softly to herself thinking about her nose and how her dad used to call her Rudolph.  
She was in a merry mood today. Her project had launched, and she had been able to tackle the difficult client fairly well so far. She was slowly fitting into her new surroundings, and was happy at her success… She had just had a heart-warming phone call with her parents back in New York, and she was feeling quite laden with emotions. It had been a long day though, and she wanted to unwind before calling it a night, and what better way to do that, than to take a nice quiet walk.

She continued ambling down the stretch of the French Quarter, humming a tune, gently.

"_Someone holds me safe and strong, Horses prance though a silver storm….."_

It was an old song from a movie she had seen when she was 10, 'Anastasia'. She loved the melody. It was hauntingly beautiful. Between the notes of her song her mind drifted to the movie and she recalled how she had poured over the real history of the Romanovs after watching the movie. Russian history was so intriguing…

Russian…..  
_-"And I'm not Russian by the way,"_  
the thought of Russia reminded her of her encounter with…what was his name… yes.. Niklaus Mikaelson, a few days ago.

She recalled their brief exchange….

'He had seemed so different… strange even….' She thought to herself. 'Well, he sure as hell was an eyeful though….A very attractive weirdo', she thought cheekily as she recalled the handsome visage and those deep blue eyes, and a school-girlish giggle rose up her throat. She bit her lips to keep herself from actually chuckling aloud.

Immersed in her song and her thoughts Natasha continued walking. She was in a happy place in her mind today….

Across the street a few blocks away, Klaus was seething. He was burning with anger, and it showed in his eyes. He staggered down the road, clutching a glass bottle in his hand, inebriated by the liquor he had been downing, in an attempt to calm himself, but it had had no effect whatsoever.

He felt as if he was being torn apart inside. He had been deceived, by everyone around him.

His own little sister included, How could she… He had trusted her, and she hated him so much that she went and sided with that vermin Marcel, the vermin who owes his very existence to Klaus.

'She will never learn… Rebekah' he muttered.

Marcel and his minions had had the audacity to rise against him, to bind him, to try to bury him. Him…. Niklaus Mikaelson… the Original Hybrid, the most powerful creature on earth, the invincible, the immortal…  
He smiled a bit in pride as he recalled how he had foiled the coup against him and proven that he wasn't any other old vampire who could be overpowered. He was Klaus… and he had the power.

But neither the smile nor his momentary feeling of glory lasted long, as his thoughts immediately drifted to other things. He thought of Elijah and Hayley, and how they had alleged that he had wanted his daughter to be born only for downright macabre and selfish motives.

His heart and mind hurt as he thought of all this. His vision blurred as his eyes started to tear up in anguish and pain. He had been hurt. Deeply hurt. His family thought nothing of him, they deceived him when they could, they all despised him, his father did, his mother did, all his siblings did, Caroline did, Hayley did, and….they would make his child despise him too…. She would hate her father as well….. They wouldn't let her love him either…

This mere thought made Klaus feel constricted. He smashed the bottle on the sidewalk, and he let out a growl, he couldn't keep his raging feelings inside him anymore. His scream echoed in the alleyway, it echoed with fury, with hurt… with frustration. He thrashed about like a wounded tiger. He was breaking down inside, and though too proud to acknowledge the fact, he knew within that he was all alone, abandoned….  
_

Natasha was lost, cocooned in her own bubble of thoughts, when she thought she heard a scream at a distance. She shuddered due to the suddenness of it. She wondered who it was. The sound was agonizing. Natasha's inner urge was to go and see, and help the troubled person, but her left brain stopped her in her tracks. Her self-preservation instincts kicked in. She was scared. It was late into the night, and she was alone in this labyrinth of dark deserted alleys. She kicked herself mentally for drifting here absentmindedly. What if she got herself into danger, what if it was some trap… a thousand questions ran through her mind.

After staying frozen on her spot for a few seconds, her instincts won. She had to see what it was, she had to help. She half ran towards the source of the shriek, muttering a silent prayer under her breath.

She reached the spot, and in the dim yellow light issuing from the street lamp, she saw Klaus kneeling in the middle of the street, panting, tears in his eyes, face contorted in a mixture of agony and frenzied wrath.

She felt really scared at that moment seeing him like that. His blue eyes that had enchanted her the other day seemed lethal and manic. She was visibly shaken, and with unsure steps she closed the distance between them.

She knelt beside him, and put a shaky hand on his shoulder. "Mr. Mikaelson ?" Klaus didn't respond.

"Err Niklaus ? Are you o-okay ?", "W-what's wrong, Wha—"

Klaus finally registered her presence and turned to face her. The intensity with which he gazed into her eyes scared her a bit more, but she tried her best to maintain a calm demeanour.

"They tried to put me down, ME…" He ranted looking at her

"They tried to trample Niklaus Mikaelson" he continued in a high guttural pitch, echoing in the deserted lane.

Natasha was shaken by now. She had no idea what Klaus was talking about, and how she should react. She looked deeply dismayed and confused. Her mind was debating whether she should abandon this madness and run, or if she should stay back and try to help this strange man. Just then she heard Klaus mutter something, in a softer tone, sounding deeply upset.

"They all hate me, they despise me" he whispered slumping to the ground.

"My family loathes me", he told her,

Natasha gazed at Klaus. The man who till now was full of fury and was gripped by a near mania, was suddenly transformed. His eyes, crazed with anger so far, now seemed forlorn and empty…. hollow…. hurt…..

"Oh what the hell, I've officially lost it"-Natasha muttered under her breath and sat down next to Klaus. She had to find out what was bothering him so much. She had to help him. She had made up her mind.

She glanced around and saw a smashed bottle of alcohol lying by the sidewalk.

She turned to Klaus and said "Hey… Niklaus… Look at me, what's wrong ? what happened to you ?"

She didn't get any response and so after a minute she added,

"Hey I think you've had too much to drink. Let me call you a cab back home okay " she proceeded to take her cell phone out of her pocket, when Klaus looked at her and said angrily, "I don't want a cab or any god forsaken thing. You don't have to worry about me. I don't need your concern or sympathy"

Natasha was taken aback, and a bit peeved. "I'm just trying to help you okay. You are drunk and clearly distressed about something so I just ….."

He leaned in close to her interrupting her mid sentence, inches from her face and said in a near sinister whisper, "Why do you care huh ? My own family wants me dead. Who are you to me ? Why do you care ?"

This angered Natasha. Here she was, genuinely concerned about this stranger's plight and he had the audacity to tell her off.

Eyebrows crinkled together, and her button nose flaring ever so slightly, she said strictly,  
"Well I am an idiot I guess. That's why I care. You were screaming like a fanatic in the middle of the street at night, drunk as a fish, clearly disturbed and rattled, I should've walked straight past you. It was a stupid idea stopping by, because clearly you dislike being assisted."

Klaus just huffed. She proceeded to get up from his side, when she stopped midway and knelt before him again, and said gravely after a pause, "Well you know what, actually, someone helped my parents today. They… they would have been in a terrible car accident had this stranger not played the part of the Good Samaritan and helped them out. I was terrified to even think of the consequences had that person not been there." Her voice quivered slightly as she said the last part, she was staring into oblivion beyond Klaus, but he saw her large eyes were glistening with tears.

She blinked her tears away, composed herself drawing in a deep breath, and looked him straight in the eye and said, "I thought it was my duty to help someone in need of it, my way of at least trying to thank God for protecting my parents, and that's a reason why I came to you…. but you're good on your own, so well... Good night"

She got up, and turned to leave when Klaus beckoned her to wait, acting on pure impulse.  
"Wait, Natasha…", he said.

He had been anguished, tormented and enraged today, and he was trying to escape these demons within him to no avail, and here came this girl, he barely knew, and a few mundane words that she spoke seemed to have been working a charm, as if loosening his synapses ever so slightly, he had begun feeling his inner fiends recede, an inch or two. He wanted her to stay a bit, and though a part of him was irate at this realization, he proceeded to stop her nevertheless.

"Don't be offended… I am not in my right mind today" he said with a flicker of an ironic smile, as he got up and walked towards her.

"Yeah, I can see that", Natasha responded, looking at him with a stern expression on her face.

Klaus looked at her, the breeze was ruffling her hair and she was trying to pry them away from her eyes. Standing alone in this lonesome plane, with a dangerous 1000 year old beast, she didn't look the least bit afraid, not that she knew what Klaus was capable of though, yet, she exuded a queer sort of fearlessness and poise.

Klaus laughed…, Natasha looked at him bewildered and said, "I'm sorry, what's so funny? pray tell"

Still laughing lightly Klaus proceeded to go and sit on a slightly raised platform off the sidewalk.

"You're awfully brave don't you think ? or incredibly foolish !" He said in his cheeky, teasing intonation. "Wandering alone around midnight, lured by a stranger. I could be dangerous you know… A criminal, a beast, a demon…" he said darkly

"A drug addict, a rapist… yeah I know. I thought about all those." She completed his sentence

"And yet…" he said.

"Yeah…because I'm barking mad I guess, proven beyond doubt today" she said and went and sat next to him.

"You're a strange girl you know" Klaus said

"Hah…. Look who's talking…." She laughed.

"You're very attached to your parents" Klaus stated

"Attached doesn't even cover it. They mean the world to me, they mean everything to me." Natasha said fiercely. Klaus noticed how her eyes twinkled and her face lit up at the mention of her parents.

Natasha continued after a minute's pause, "And today, when I got to know about their brush with disaster, I hated myself you know… I hated that I wasn't there with them, that I could do nothing to help…. I was crushed when I contemplated what could've happened if…" she looked away to flick away the tears that had started building up in the corner of her eyes again.

"I'm sorry" she said.

"No don't be… it's okay..It is extremely rare to see such devotion in a family you know…" Klaus said.

She smiled at him… "It can't be that rare…"

"Oh believe me love it is… Family is perhaps overrated if you ask me" Klaus said.

"Oh c'mon… don't be a cynic now" Natasha chided him playfully

"My family would rather I died… they hate me to such extremes." He stated darkly.

Natasha was stunned into silence. She didn't know how to react.

"I…I'm sorry…I.." she stuttered.

Klaus smiled sarcastically…

"We swore an oath to each other… that we'll be together, Always and Forever…." Klaus said

"empty words they were from them" he said with gritted teeth.

"Now they will believe anything any streetrat comes and tells them about me. They'll betray me, they'll think I'm incapable of caring for my own blood…." He said, his temper rising again.

Natasha felt uncomfortable. The changes in Niklaus's temperament and their intensity disconcerted her. She was normally very good with people, a fantastic orator, she was never short of words given any situation, but she was at a loss here…

She couldn't figure out this man sitting beside her. What was his problem, who was he….what was he….

But she loved challenges didn't she… well here was one for her.

She held his shoulder and said, "Hey, hey… listen…calm down… you're going to wake up the entire neighbourhood… and besides, it won't help… you'll only feel worse. So there… take a deep breath and try to calm down."

He tried… because he could sense that Natasha was feeling flustered too, and he didn't want that. He tried to ease his tensed being, loosened his fists and leant back

"If you had my memories, you would understand what I mean"

Natasha giggled, and immediately apologized.

"Now you find me funny ? Pray tell" he said imitating what Natasha had told him earlier.

Still smiling, she explained, "No nothing… It's just that when you said, 'If you had my memories'" she said trying to imitate Klaus's deep voice, "It reminded me of this book I'd read, and one of its characters."

-"Now which book would that be ?" Klaus asked.

"It's called Rebecca, by Daphne Du Maurier, heard of it ?" Klaus flinched slightly on hearing the name, his thoughts drifting to his sister, and her recent deception.

Natasha continued, "The male protagonist, Max De Winter, says these exact words to the girl narrating the story, and you know… he was quite in your present situation when he said that." She laughed again.

"Brooding and hurt", she completed, giggling,

"And why was he behaving so ? this Max De Winter?"

"Well, he had killed his wife, because she had been exceedingly deceptive and obnoxious, and this guilt was eating him away, haunting him." She narrated.

"Well just to be clear, I hadn't meant you both were similar in that regard okay" she laughed again, trying to lighten the atmosphere.

When she turned to look at Klaus, she found him gazing at her with an intense expression. Her laughter wilted. She became silent,

"Perhaps we are indeed more similar than you think. Perhaps I have done much worse things, unspeakable acts, killed many more people, perhaps…." Klaus nearly whispered.

Natasha felt a strong chill which had nothing to do with the weather. She was scared, she was nearly terrified.

The atmosphere was tense, and Klaus sensed he had rattled the girl.

He snorted and flashed his dimples, and casually asked her, "You like reading huh? That's a good hobby to have"

Natasha was still too stunned to respond.

Regaining some of her composure Natasha said, "Have you ?" Klaus looked at her quizzically, and she continued, "Have you done such things?"

"I've scared you. Apologies. I didn't mean to" Klaus said.

"Well, you speak of your feuding family as if you belong to the Corleones and you speak about yourself in a manner befitting Jack the Ripper, so I guess a scared reaction is just about justified." She said.

Klaus laughed, "You are exquisite"

She smiled slightly too, though she was still on edge.

"Well my family history has been more intriguing than the Corleone's actually" he winked.

"Look, there clearly have been issues between you and your family, and I'm not going to pry that out of you, but if you were to consider my two cents, I'd tell you, if you have a family, you ought to treasure it. There will always be differences and difficulties, but you ought to try to make it work. You never clap with one hand, so try to figure what was it you did that might have hurt them…Treasure them…There's no love greater than that your family can give you" she said

He smiled sardonically and said, "You know what my two cents are ? That love is a v-… Love is a man's greatest weakness."

"Love and family, can never be weaknesses. They are the greatest strengths there can be, given you respect them and tend to them." She said quickly.

Natasha looked at him for a few seconds and smiled, as she continued, "You said your family loathes you, and don't believe you can care, don't you think not loving has become your greatest weakness ?"

Klaus looked at her in silence. He didn't have a retort for what she had just said. He just stared at her. She seemed to be reading him even though she hardly knew him.

She proceeded to get up from their perch, and looked back at him and said, "Think about it"

Klaus was silent, ruminating over the conversation he had just had with this inscrutable human girl. The girl who revered family, and clearly adored her parents, and had an eerily calming presence.

She continued smiling, and after a pause added, "Look Niklaus,"

"Klaus, call me Klaus" he said breaking free from his train of thoughts and assuming his mischievous being.

"Yeah, I remember you'd said this before too"

"You don't like my name" Klaus said in jest

"No, I don't like your short form … Klaus… forgive me, I don't know why but it sounds a little….strange" she said.

"Everyone knows me as Klaus though" he tried to defend his name.

"Yeah…. but I won't. How about I call you Nik ? That's smaller than your full name and sounds better than Klaus. You okay with it ?"

Klaus laughed and nodded in agreement.

"So Nik, It's really late, and I have to get myself to work tomorrow, so I'll get going. You….take care." Natasha said.

"I can walk you to your place, it's late and dark…" Klaus offered.

She laughed, and said "Thanks, but I'd rather you took care of yourself now. I'll manage."

She waved a goodbye and turned on her heel when Klaus held her hand and stopped her.

She turned back and looked at him with a question in her eyes.

"Thank you ! Thank you for coming here and staying this long." Klaus said in earnest.

She smiled, "You're welcome" she responded. "Good night"

"Good night" Klaus said, and gently let go of her hand.

She began walking away and started humming her song again to clear her brain which was bursting at its seams with so many questions and thoughts.

"_Far away, long ago"_

Klaus heard her humming and called out bemused, "What is this song?"

She turned to him and answered him walking backwards "Oh it's from my childhood, my mum and I used to sing it together when I was little…" she waved and turned back, humming again.

Klaus could still hear her even as she walked away, thanks to his super auditory skills.

She hummed….

"_Far away, long ago  
Glowing dim as an ember  
Things my heart used to know  
Things it yearns to remember_

_And a song someone sings  
Once upon a December"_

He waited and saw her walk away till she was out of his line of sight and hearing.

They both walked in opposite directions, both full of questions and overwhelmed with thoughts. Both struck with each other's enigma. Her humming stayed with Klaus.

The song made him feel stirred inside, because somehow it spoke of his innermost feelings… just that he himself wasn't completely aware of them…yet…

The alley was now deserted again, the only remnant of the conversations and happenings of the last hour was the smashed glass bottle shards of which now glistened in the yellow light of the street lamp


	3. Chapter 3

_Before I begin the chapter, a huge thank you to everyone for reading the story... It feels really encouraging to see the number of views/visits climb up :) Thank you... A big thanks to all those who reviewed the story so far. I was thrilled to see them and I'm really happy you took time out to share your views. Really appreciated. A shout-out to those who followed/favorited the story too.. again, it's very encouraging. :)_

_Another note of thanks to LeShyWolf (Elle) for coming up with the cool nickname for the OC :)_

_Thank you all again.. enjoy reading, and do let me know your views/comments/critique/suggestions. _

* * *

"And that, gentlemen, is how the project map looks like as of now, we're on schedule with our tasks... I will of course keep you updated with the progress and we'll follow up in our next meeting. I'll be available for any questions or assistance meanwhile. So… shall we call it a day then?" The confident voice of Natasha boomed in the conference room, as she stood beaming in the glow of the projector screen behind her, and concluded the meeting successfully. Her project was going on pretty smoothly till now, without any bumps.

She hi-fived the rest of the consultants in her team as they gathered their papers and shut their laptop lids. They laughed, joked and discussed some last minute matters as they wrapped up.

Outside the setting sun was painting the horizon in hues of fiery reds and oranges, a few fluffy tufts of clouds glided lazily, adding to the many shades of the evening sky. Strains of a jazz melody playing on an accordion floated in the air, as a musician played on a street corner. New Orleans was ushering into another lively evening.

"Hey what say, we catch a drink together before hitting home… I swear I could use some alcohol to clear my head after all that number crunching man!" – said Mike, one of the consultants, shaking his head as if to shirk the numbers from his brain.

"Alcohol or a pretty face ? eh Mikey ?"-Teased Christie, the analyst, giving Mike a wink.

"That won't hurt now… I've heard Rousseau's welcomes some really hot tourists…" Mike replied cheekily.

"Of course, trust Mike to be updated on that news", smiled Arthur, the financial specialist.

Everyone on the team laughed together.

"What did I miss, comrades? I'd love a laugh too!" asked an upbeat Natasha who had just hung up on the phone, after speaking to her parents, sharing with them, in a nutshell her day and asking about theirs.

"Hey Tashie, we were thinking about hanging out a bit, catching a couple drinks before calling it a night. What say? Will be fun, besides Mike's on the lookout for a new girlfriend" explained Christie, as everyone nodded between giggles.

"Well, who am I to ruin Mike's chances, however... poor they may be…" Natasha joked.

"Where to ?" she asked

"Rousseau's" replied Christie

"Ah cool, that ain't far from my place either..." smiled Natasha

"C'mon now Tashie… We all know you don't like drinking much... and the bar being near your house is such a lame excuse, You're tagging along just to enjoy my company, eh gorgeous... Admit it... You love me too !", Mike said, swinging his arm on Natasha's shoulder and flirting with her in jest.

"Mike, the bars have non-alcoholic drinks too, and besides honey, as for loving you, you're gonna have to find someone else mon amie, I'm too good for you…" Natasha replied, wriggling out from under Mike's arm, eliciting a theatrical sigh of heartbreak from him, and laughter from everyone else.

The merry party proceeded to one of the most famous joints of the lively French Quarter.

* * *

Engrossed in conversation with her colleagues Natasha didn't quite take notice of her surroundings, until they had neared Rousseau's. As the realization hit her, she was inevitably reminded of Klaus, or Nik as he was to her now, she reminisced of especially their last, rather intense rendezvous. She silently prayed to God that she wouldn't bump into him. She genuinely sympathized with the strange guy at some level, especially when she recalled his sad vacant eyes, when he'd spoken of his family… but…she'd had enough insanity to last her at least a week. She was a tad shifty as they entered the bar, but she relaxed once she glanced around and saw that her prayer had been answered. He wasn't anywhere in sight.

The group of 6 seated themselves at the bar stools and made themselves comfortable.

Natasha was feeling good and relieved. Her mind was calm. Conversation, laughs and jokes were on free flow. The slightly older team members Arthur, Cressida and Leo left after about 30 minutes, leaving the Gen-Y to carry on the party. Mike and Christie, both a few drinks down were playing some silly drinking game. Natasha smiled at them patronisingly and swivelled around on her bar stool shaking her head slightly. "A virgin Mojito please!" she called out.

"You won't join your friend's drinking game?" A cheery feminine voice called out.

Natasha looked up from her smartphone, and saw the bartender girl smiling at her, holding out her drink.

"Oh no!" Natasha laughed. "Someone has to be sober enough to make sure they're back home tonight… and at work tomorrow, without a concussion or lost teeth or stolen wallets",

"Besides, I don't like alcohol much…" she added smilingly.

"Non-Alcohol lovers are in very short supply here…" The bartender joked… "You must be the team-leader I'm guessing… responsible and prudent, and also an ambitious achiever I feel…you looked younger than all your friends" she added.

"Guilty as charged" Natasha mockingly bowed her head, hand on heart.

The bartender laughed, as Natasha joined. "You're quite perceptive, are you a psychoanalyst by any chance ? ", Natasha winked at the girl, as she took a swig from her Mojito.

"Wow, not as perceptive as you are! I am, actually a Psych major", the bartender replied, impressed.

"Bull's eye" Natasha joked.

"Hi, I'm Natasha Rai" she said, holding out her hand.

"I'm Cami" the bartender replied, shaking her hand happily.

"Actually it's Camille O'Conell, but I prefer Cami" she added quickly.

"I'll stick to Cami then" Natasha replied smiling.

"Thank you by the way...", Cami said.

"Well... You're welcome... but what for exactly ?", Asked an amused Natasha.

"For not stating like 90% of the others that I had a French name..." Cami joked.

"Oh that... Well then I guess I owe you some gratitude too... for not pointing out I had a Russian name even though I looked absolutely nothing like a Russian..." added Natasha cheerily.

The girls both laughed together

"So, you're in town on work I'm guessing" Cami asked, wiping a shiny glass.

"You're right ! I'm a management consultant, here on an assignment" Natasha replied. "What about you? You've been here a long time?"

"Oh no, I just moved in here a few months ago myself", said Cami slowly, with a half hearted smile, which didn't reach her eyes.

Natasha guessed it was a topic best left off-limits, as she sensed Cami's mood change ever so slightly.

"So, psych major huh! That's pretty interesting." Natasha said.

"Yeah. I think it's extremely interesting to study and understand all about the mind. Behaviours, temperaments… my specialization is abnormal psychology" Cami quipped.

"Cool… You know I've always had a bit of an interest in psychology, paranormal psychology to be honest actually… Always been a bit of a stickler for the supernatural" Natasha said with a chuckle, "Used to read up on it whenever I could… It is so fascinating, so much to learn… you know the afterlife… the soul… the subconscious… finding out the truth behind the unknown…" "I'm coming across as a bit freaky aren't I?" Natasha said with a smile that was apologetic yet mischievous.

"Well then I guess I'm a freak as well…" Cami smiled. "I like that subject too."

"You know it has always amazed me, to think that our own minds, our subconscious has so much potential… we can do so much if we only put this potential into use… you know like be the masters of our thoughts and subsequently our destiny, just by using our brain's prowess… we could have so much more control upon our facilities…" Natasha narrated with a faraway look in her eyes and a twinkle of a smile on her face…

Cami glanced at this girl sitting opposite to her… The words she had just said suddenly struck her like an electric impulse… and triggered many thoughts within her.

She recalled the cryptic graphic messages scrawled on pieces of paper that she had begun finding lately. She had deciphered one of them, that had lead her to a 1919 newspaper, yet she was utterly confused at what could be the conclusions and the repercussions of her recent eerie find. By and by she had realized that she had written those messages to herself. She knew it had something to do with her recent reactions (or lack of them) towards Sean's death, and with Klaus. She was astounded at the incomprehensible changes in her emotional space, and she was desperate for answers…

She remembered, like a long forgotten memory, enshrouded in fogs of uncertainty that she had promised herself to come out of something, some conundrum her mind was plunged into. She remembered lamenting to her uncle that she despised herself for suddenly, almost getting over Sean's death, and she didn't even comprehend how or why…

Natasha broke out of her reverie and setting the now empty glass of Mojito down on the counter glanced at Cami, whose face wore a confused expression, with a frown taking its place amongst her features.

"Hey Cami! Are you okay ?" Natasha asked

"What… yes…oh yes… I'm okay… I'm sorry I-I was just thinking of something…It's nothing….I-I'm okay..Thanks" Cami shuffled about a bit flustered, smiling nervously.

Natasha was morbidly curious… but at least had the better sense to not invade Cami's space.

"By the way, what exactly did you mean when you said we could be the master's of our thoughts and destiny?" Cami asked with a lot of sudden interest.

"Well, I'm sure you've heard that we use only a minuscule percentage of our brain's powers to use in everyday life.." Natasha began and Cami nodded in agreement,

"It's just that I believe, and it is being proven nowadays, that if we only learn how to tap into that unused potential, if we learn to activate our sub-conscious, we can control our actions and our environment much more effectively…" She explained…  
"Now I'm not talking about things like telekinesis or hypnotizing everyone around to make them do your bidding... though that could be a tiny bit exciting..." She chuckled.  
"It's just like tweaking the mind's programming to perform higher tasks you know. Like using more processors." Natasha finished indulgently.

"Have you read 'The Secret'? Rhonda Byrne?" Natasha asked after a pause.

"Yes, I have… but I must admit I'm a bit of a sceptic. I couldn't bring myself to believe in it totally. It's fascinating nevertheless." Cami replied. "Do you believe?"

"I was a sceptic too… I still am, about a lot of things.. but my mum made me believe in it. It works you know… the power of our thoughts is real… I can vouch for that", Natasha said, with a glint in her eyes.

Cami was lost in thought again… her brain was churning at a stupendous speed. She wanted to gain control of her mind, her emotions once more, and perhaps, this girl could help… perhaps she could lead Cami to her answers…

"How can I do that? How can I harness the power of my thoughts? Do you know how to?" Cami asked.

Natasha replied "Not an awful lot...look I'm no expert, my mom is much more adept at these… but yeah I've been trying for a while now... We start by meditating, by calming ourselves and our thoughts. It's not that easy you know… Takes time" Natasha smiled.

"I can tell you about some books... there's one by Joseph Murphy, about the powers of the subconscious mind, great for starters... you know I could lend it to you if you'd like... " Natasha offered.

"Yeah… yeah that'll be great…Thanks a lot… You know it's so strange yet interesting to be having this conversation with you right here right now," Cami said, feeling slightly dazed yet sincere.

"I agree… I don't get to indulge very often too… you can see my friends' interests are a _tiny_ bit different" Natasha joked glancing towards Mike and Christie.

"Hey listen, It'd be great if we could hang out another time… I'd love to know more about all this, and I think I'll really enjoy your company." Cami told Natasha, with a smile, yet with a bit of an apprehension, not knowing how the latter would react.

Natasha flashed a big grin. "That'd be lovely…. I could use a new friend too"

Cami was happy and relieved. She beamed at Natasha and before she could say anything she was whisked away to attend to a customer.

* * *

Natasha was a very instinctive girl, her 6th sense was razor sharp and now, though she genuinely felt she and Cami connected well, she also felt as if Cami was looking for help, and that Natasha could be the one to give it to her.

'Since when did I become Mother Teresa though… a week into a new town and I'm already thinking of helping every second person I meet… Cami…Nik… get a hold girl' she thought to herself, a bit pompously, some vanity slightly threatening to creep in.

'Oh well… I'm a saint… time to now guide these wasted children back to their beds…' she thought smiling inwardly as she slid down the bar stool and proceeded towards Mike and Christie.

"Hello…there… you guys conscious enough to walk out or should I call for a tow truck?" Natasha joked slapping both of them on their backs.

Both Mike and Christie mumbled something about being sober enough to go home by themselves.

Natasha laughed… "You kids will never learn". She dialled for a taxi for the two of them.

Cami was back by then, and so Natasha took out her business card and handed it to Cami. "Here's my number… we should definitely catch up soon" she said with a warm smile.

The girls exchanged numbers, and Cami said sincerely, "Thanks a lot…"

She was about to say something else, when her eyes stood fixated at the entrance, and her smiling face immediately froze.

* * *

Natasha took notice after a minute and was confused. She followed Cami's line of sight and turned around to see Klaus standing at the entrance.

'Uh-oh-... And here comes an 8/10 chance that *poof* there goes my idea of a drama free and peaceful night', thought Natasha suddenly, and indeed it was a premonition of the next few hours that she would be spending...

Klaus's arrival was sudden and not entirely welcome for either Natasha or Cami, of course the latter had much stronger reasons for feeling so.

Natasha looked back at Cami, who still stared at Klaus. She looked somewhat angry. Unknown to anyone around, Klaus's presence had allowed Cami's repressed memories to come flooding back...

She recalled the fact that Klaus was a vampire, (as was Marcel), she recalled that he had compelled her to forget things, that he had used her in his machinations, that he had conspired in killing someone responsible for Sean's behaviour... she felt outraged, yet kept it under control. She knew now, in this moment, that those messages had everything to do with the predicament she and Klaus shared, she was trying to tell her non-compelled self the realities of this man, this town, spilling over with vampires.

Klaus walked in and smiled at Natasha which she returned out of courtesy. He did the same to Cami which she returned with a sweet but rather superficial smile, nearly mocking in nature.

Natasha looked up at Klaus, whose face was now serious, a tad puzzled, a tad hurt. Natasha sensed something was up between these two… and her inquisitiveness rose again... she knew she had no business snooping around, yet she was curious to find out more about their dynamics.

The cab Natasha had called for had come by then, and Natasha held her hand out to Cami as she said her goodbye.

Cami squeezed Natasha's hand with both of her own and said with an ever subtle hint of urgency, "I'll see you soon".

And with that, Cami retreated into the kitchen.

In the kitchen, back pressed to the door, Cami was thinking hard...she barely knew this new girl, she was already paying the price by befriending the seemingly harmless and charming $100 guy... should she take a chance with another stranger?

Cami was so desperate by this point that she decided if Natasha could be of any help at all, even a trifle, in helping Cami regain control of her brain, it would be well worth the risk...

She saved Natasha's number in her cell-phone... she would give her a call soon... she would try anything possible... she wouldn't be manipulated anymore.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

After bidding goodbye to her newest friend in town, Natasha's attention was snatched away as she supported a faltering Christie while she ordered Mike to buck up and head towards the cab. 

When they had reached the cab, Natasha, with great difficulty got Christie in and was now in the process of pushing Mike in, who was muttering something unintelligible.

"Why do you people do this... I asked you to not get wasted... look at you now..." she mumbled, irritated.

She left Mike to himself for a moment and proceeded to give the cab driver the address to the building where Christie and Mike had their apartments. 'Thank Heavens they stay in the same building' thought Natasha. 

Instinctive as she was, the moment Natasha looked at the cabbie, she sensed something wasn't right. She had a very strong nagging feeling that the man sitting there, with a worn out bowler cap and drab tiny eyes could harm her friends. She stood there a moment with scrunched up eyebrows, mulling what to do.  
She decided she'd accompany the two and wouldn't leave them alone in their present condition. She turned around to announce that she was tagging along too, when Mike, standing leaning against the car lost his balance as he moved forward and caught his foot in something. Natasha rushed to his side and tried to help him to his feet, but an unstable, tall and rather well built guy was proving to be too difficult for the tiny girl to support. She was struggling when she suddenly felt Mike being steadied; she looked up in surprise and saw Klaus helping the guy to his feet almost effortlessly.

* * *

"There you go love", he said with his trademark smile when Natasha noticed him

"Thanks..." Natasha said sincerely. "Nik, I'll catch you later okay, I gotta drop these two to their place. I don't want them to be alone with..." she said, glancing back ever so slightly at the driver when she muttered the last part.

"You're scared for their safety, now that's such a noble friend..." Klaus said, in jest.

"That's a normal friend." She replied as a matter of fact.

Klaus laughed at her response. Natasha was more than eager to say something at his cynicism, but she had more pressing matters on her mind, so she let go with a frown, and turned to get into the waiting car. 

Klaus had been alive a millennium, and despite the ever stretching extent of his life, he could count on one hand the people, who felt as friends. As commanding, menacing and diabolical as he was, he had been essentially lonely for a thousand years.  
Although he had indeed been the primary reason behind his solitude as Cami had pointed out too, he would never ever accept that fact; but then, even accepting his follies wouldn't change the truth, the truth, that he was on his own, now, more than ever. He was particularly miffed with his family of late, and he truly wanted, for a while, to be with someone who didn't look at him with loathsome eyes, someone who wasn't scared of him, someone who didn't deem him a complete monstrosity, and right now, Natasha was the only one he knew who was sans these attributes.

Hence watching the girl leave made him jerk into action all of a sudden. He held the door of the cab and beckoned to Natasha. 

"Wait... wait a moment. I can help", he said.

"What? How? What?..." Natasha was left stuttering as Klaus made his way to the cabbie and began speaking to him in a hushed tone. All Natasha could figure out of their conversation was Klaus looking him straight in the eye, intensely and saying, "You will take them straight home and keep them safe as if your life depended on it."

Natasha watched with a look of curiosity and irritation, as the cabbie looked transfixed for a moment and then nodded an acceptance robotically. She couldn't understand what Klaus was trying to do.

"There, problem solved... Your friends couldn't be safer. You don't have to worry anymore love, you can have the rest of your night to yourself" Klaus said with a proud smile.

"You just spoke to him... and you reckon the problem's solved?" Natasha said incredulously.

"More like ordered him... and believe you me, he will obey that order come what may" Klaus replied feeling rather proud.

"What nonsense... It's getting late, Goodbye" said a miffed Natasha as she moved back towards the rear passenger door.

"Natasha, wait. I promise you they'll be okay..." Klaus said as he held her by the arm and turned her to face him.

"How ? Just because you say so ?" spat Natasha and squirmed to free her arm.

"Let's just say I know how to pull the right strings." He said

Natasha didn't look too convinced and continued freeing her arm, at which point, losing his patience, Klaus held both her shoulders and said to her profoundly, "Trust me...please".

On hearing this request, Natasha calmed slightly and gazed at Nik for a few moments, the way he looked at her made her feel strange and slightly moved, and again slightly edgy of him. But he sounded uncannily confident so despite her mind's thumping protests, she took an instinctive decision and muttered "Al-Alright"

Klaus smiled a tiny happy smile.

Natasha turned to her friends and pleaded earnestly, "Mike take care okay... take care of both of you... and call me as soon as you reach, otherwise I'm going to tear you apart tomorrow I swear... please... be safe..."

Mike smiled and said in a slightly slurred speech, "I will Tashie... you're so nice... and so so beautiful..." saying so he touched her face gently and tucked a stray hair strand in place.

Conscious of Klaus's stare boring into her back, Natasha quickly bade them goodbye and muttered a small prayer as the yellow cab pulled away.

* * *

"He fancies you", Klaus said suggestively with a mischievous smirk, and though he meant it lightheartedly, his territorial nature had inadvertently started pulling at the ends of his psyche and he felt the tiniest bit of resentment towards Mike, envious of the fluid exchanges and the proximity he and Natasha had just shared.

"He's a friend" Natasha dismissed, albeit turning slightly red, as she started walking in the direction to her residence. 

"May I?" Klaus asked motioning if he could join her on her walk

"Do whatever you want..." she huffed.

"By the way, I believe you sort of fancy someone too" she retaliated again, looking pointedly towards the bar they had exited a few minutes ago.

Klaus laughed. "She's a friend" mimicking Natasha. "And I'm afraid she doesn't like me too much right now. She's cross..." he finished solemnly, looking that way. 

Natasha gave a small laugh... "Why does everyone you talk to me about, dislike you? Your Corleone family, Cami... Do I see a pattern here?" she said sarcastically.

Klaus felt the sting of her comment and gave an ironic smile, "Maybe..."

"But it isn't everybody... you don't dislike me..." he added after a pause.

Natasha who was a few paces ahead of him, turned to face him on hearing this, and said with an amused expression, "And...What makes you think so?"

"I felt so... Do you?" Klaus said slowly.

"I don't know... I really don't know... but yeah... if my friends aren't safe tonight... I swear I'll hate you with all my heart." Natasha said caustically.

Klaus was a tiny bit dejected, as unbeknownst to his proud original hybrid self, a tiny part of him hoped Natasha would say spontaneously, that she didn't dislike him.  
Yet he kept up his façade and said, "They'll be okay... trust me." 

"Are you always this scared of cabbies? He teased.

Natasha glared at him.

"Okay, another question, are you always so scared for all your buddies, or are _these_ _friends_ special?" He asked, stressing on 'these friends' suggestively.

She glared again, "I'm not scared of cabbies... or anyone..." she said defensively, slightly offended that he thought of her as meek.

They walked in silence for a couple of minutes, when Natasha realised probably she was perhaps being a bit too rude... after a few moments she continued.

"It's just that... I had a... gut feeling... I didn't like that driver. So..." she added glancing down at her feet, almost as if confessing guilt.

"An instinctive girl...how charming", Klaus said with a laugh.

"Shut up..." Natasha mumbled.

Klaus laughed and matched steps with her. He sensed he had ruffled up the girl a little bit.

Natasha's phone rang after a few moments, and it was Mike on the line, who had remembered calling her to inform they were safe and sound.

Klaus could hear their conversation, a bit jealous at the easy camaraderie between the two of them.

Natasha hung up and gave a sigh of relief, glancing towards the sky in a gesture of gratitude to God.

Klaus saw her gesture and smiled at it.

"Told you..." he told her, smug.

"Well... yeah... you can indeed pull strings eh ?!" Natasha joked, but turned serious after a few moments.

"Still...I'm a bad friend...a bad bad friend...how could I leave them be... what's wrong with me..." she kept mumbling under her breath, not knowing she was still within vampiric hearing range. She was genuinely upset with herself and felt at fault...

"Don't feel guilty there now...It's okay" Klaus offered to make her feel better.

"It's not...today I let them be on their own just because _you_ asked me to, when I don't even know you.. whereas I've known Mike and Christie for 3 years now... they're my friends" she kept ranting.

"What did you do out there anyway? You just spoke to the guy and I bought it... bah! Never thought I'd be so gullible to such placebo techniques... what was I even thinking" She kept muttering incredulously, again speaking to herself, she was angry, and was busy castigating herself.

"Placebo techniques, did I hear?"; "That's a little harsh love... you really think so? Klaus said

"You just _spoke_ to the guy... just _spoke_ to him... what else could it be, unless you're a hypnotist of profound skill...which theory I doubt" She replied instantly, still sounding peeved.

Klaus was amused at the similarities between her and Cami, and how they both analysed things.

"Well... Maybe I have more power over people than you fathom. Maybe I can indeed make them do what I want, when I want without needing hypnosis" he replied gravely.

Natasha stopped walking and looked at Nik, who now advanced a couple steps ahead of her.

There had been a more than one occasion in their brief 3 encounter old acquaintance, when Nik had hinted that he could be dangerous, sinister, powerful, and though he had done so each time in a manner of conversation and amusedly, Natasha had felt a chill each time, and couldn't help but think if his warnings and suggestions were truer than they appeared. She felt angrier at herself, that despite realising everything, here she was walking and talking with him, listening to everything he had to say.

Klaus noticed Natasha was left behind and turned to look back to see her standing, looking at him in a scrutinizing fashion, forehead crinkled in agitation.

"What's the matter love? Tired already?" he asked jovially.

"What are you?" she asked gravely.

For a moment Klaus wanted to tell her what he was, show her what he was capable of, the creature he was, tell her all about his long life... but he quickly brushed off the thought because he knew she would probably never see him again if she knew what he was, how he was. The girl who wasn't exactly afraid of him and didn't yet detest him would cower away once faced with the truth, and Klaus wanted to delay that for as long as he could.  
So instead, he just smiled and said cheekily, "What do you think I am?"

"I don't know..." she replied honestly. "I'm trying to figure you out as we speak."

"Do tell me your conclusions, except of course likening me to any other character written by Mario Puzo" he bantered.

Natasha rolled her eyes and shook her head and walked ahead to join Nik, "so you know how to read..." she said

"So... how's the Corleone family doing? Could you guys reach a truce?" she quipped, to change the subject.

Klaus huffed, "Things are as they have always been... does that count as a truce ?" He said.

"How many Corleones are there? She asked.

"We _Mikaelsons_, were a family of 9." He said, stressing on his surname, to which Natasha snickered.

"My mother, Esther, My father Mikael. I loved my parents in the beginning, truth be told, but I doubt they ever loved me. My mother, who I looked upto, never showed me that she truly cared, and my father... a piece of work he was... I respected him when I was a child... always trying to win over his affection, but he was a monster... he hated me, detested me with such fervour..." He said bitterly, angry tears threatening to fill his eyes, as memories of Mikael belittling him, rushed to his mind. He composed himself for a moment though, and carried on, "And we were 7 siblings, my eldest brother died long before, as a child, he was very ill they'd said..."

Natasha grew a bit sombre and looked sideways at Klaus who was staring ahead and narrating, she felt sorry for his family's loss, and for his parent's attitude. She decided to be less snarky, at least for now.

Klaus continued, "He succumbed to the plague."

Natasha was quite surprised to hear of the cause of his brother's demise, from what she knew, plague wasn't as deadly anymore, as it used to be in the times of the Black Death or the Great Plague of London... plus he looked like he belonged to a well off family, they could afford treatment easily... so how plague ? She was perplexed, but refrained from making any comments.

"It seems like epochs have passed since that time." He said with a wry smile.

He continued after a while. "Then came my older brother Elijah, the noble son, the noble brother, who everyone adores instantly. He's here in New Orleans and I bet he'll charm you in a swish too, if he were to meet you." He said with a sweetness which was clearly imposed and intended to be sarcastic.

'Good old sibling rivalry' Natasha thought to herself as she listened on.

"After Elijah came Finn; who was even nobler and more moral than Elijah, if such a thing was even possible," he joked. "He hated us all for what we were though" said Klaus softly. "Ah good ol' Finn... the favourite son of my loving mother..." his sarcasm was back.

Unconsciously Natasha formed a picture of the family in the Godfather, likening it to the Mikaelsons, and at the mention of Finn hating what his family was, imagined Michael Corleone as he was in the beginning of the story, when he wanted nothing to do with his family's Mafia business.

* * *

She snapped out of her amusing thoughts as Klaus continued.

"After Finn Niklaus was born..." he said with a dramatic flair making Natasha giggle a little

"Then it was Kol, the younger brother, feisty, stubborn, and naughty..." he said nostalgically with a hint of fondness.

After Kol, we had Rebekah, the only daughter, the princess... she has quite the snappy temper I tell you, yet she was loved by all of us, made her quite spoilt... a little too spoilt perhaps... you see she needs to be disciplined every now and then... she doesn't yet know what's right or wrong for her..." he said, as the real metaphors beneath his discipline were totally lost on Natasha. "She's here too..."

"Finally we had our youngest brother Henrik." Klaus said with some desolation.

Natasha was quite lost in his family history and wanted to hear more about his folks and his life, which he made sound extremely intriguing, but she glanced up to realize she had reached the cosy little studio flat she had rented in New Orleans. She hadn't realised they'd walked this far together,  
and that wasn't great, because she hadn't planned on bringing Klaus around to where she lived; not anytime soon at least, what if was actually a gangster, an underworld dealer or into any other sort of shady profession, she wanted to keep her abode a trouble free haven... But her curiosity was raging... She really wanted him to continue his story... but with a lot of difficulty, she decided it would be better judgement to bid goodbyes for the day.

She broke into the zone Klaus seemed to have gone into while narrating his story, and cut in, "I'm afraid we'll have to continue with your memoirs another time... I'm near my home... gotta go" 

Klaus looked at her fidgeting the tiniest bit, and realised she was a bit nervous, "And let me guess... that one out there is your house isn't it?" He said pointing towards the correct one...

Natasha looked at him incredulously and after a pause said, "H-how did you know?" "Hold on... have you... have you..." she struggled with her words trying to sound civil and yet figure out the truth.

"Have I been spying on you ?" Klaus completed.

She looked around slightly embarrassed to be having this conversation, yet remained on guard.

"No...I haven't... though I could do that very easily you know..." Klaus said cheekily.

"You looked at that very house for a fleeting moment earlier... I noticed..." he continued after a pause.

"Wow... your senses are rather sharp aren't they..." she said, impressed and awed.

Klaus laughed... "Yes they are love... sharper than you could imagine...and so is my mind you know... and it tells me you didn't want me to know or see where you lived..." he said sounding a little disappointed.

Natasha, now positively flustered, tried to quickly think of an excuse and steer the conversation into another direction, but couldn't.

"Well... yeah... and you can't blame me for that" she said putting her hands up in a manner of defence."

"I mean, I hardly know you... and yet I know for a fact that you can throw quite a drunken fit, you speak of yourself as a dangerous person, you claim to wield some strange power on people, you have a warring faction for a family... what else was I supposed to do..." she finished, biting her lips.

"I think I understand... and I believe it's good you're careful of me, Go on... we'll meet some other day... hopefully" he said normally, with a solemn smile and turned around, yet Natasha could detect a bit of disappointment in his manner, and as she saw his now retreating figure, she felt guilty...

The guy seemed upset, she could tell his story was hardly going to be a happily ever after tale... and she had just upset him some more... but she had reason didn't she... she was trying to look out for herself... any sensible person would do that...

But he seemed saddened...

Why the hell did she even care about him ?

That was a question she didn't have a proper answer to, but she knew she did care a bit...

She felt her instincts kicking in, clouding her better judgement, and she harshly chastised herself mentally, wondering really hard why she became so reckless and so impulsive whenever she was in the vicinity of this man...

What she was about to do next, was a total departure from her alert and careful self... and there was a fair chance she'd regret doing so... but... 'Oh shoot...' she thought, and throwing caution to wind, called out to him... "Wait, Nik..."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

A surprised Klaus looked around as he heard his name.

"Look I'm sorry... I didn't mean to offend you..." she said.

"No offences taken love" he said... 

She shuffled about for some awkward moments, and then shrugging her shoulders said, "You still have your story to continue, and I can still afford to be awake for a while..." she continued glancing at her watch... "So why don't you come along..."

Klaus smiled...genuinely, he had been disappointed that despite not disclosing his real origins, he had still managed to scare Natasha, but this gesture of hers pleased him, yet he said

"No, it's quite alright Natasha... You should take rest."

"Just shut up and come along..." she said bossily to which Klaus gave a surprised expression, raising his eyebrows and smiling, and then he walked upto her flat, which had a white front door, with an ornate knocker on it, and with a flight of 3 steps leading upto it, their edges lined with tiny potted plants.

"I am still sure I shouldn't invite you into the house though... call me old fashioned, call me cynical, call me the weird Indian girl, call me anything... but I'll feel a tiny bit at ease with myself if the interiors of my house were still just my own..." she said rapidly, turning slightly red.

"Besides I love sitting out on the steps you know... it's not that cold, plus you're dressed warmly, there's hardly traffic on the street upfront..." she went on... 

Klaus laughed at Natasha's awkwardness. It was amusing how she was trying to make him feel better and yet trying to be the prudent girl she ought to be.

"Slow down there love... I get your point... the steps suit me just fine..." he said still laughing. "For now at least..." he added with a wink.

She cocked an eyebrow and smiled a bit before rushing up the steps..."Hold on, wait here I'll be back in a jiffy" she said and disappeared into the house. 

* * *

Klaus was amused to think how she didn't know that she was indeed keeping herself somewhat safe by not inviting him into her house, and Klaus didn't want to force or compel her to do so...

He wondered why he behaved differently around her and Cami. With anyone else he'd never be this patient. He mulled perhaps it was because these two girls were quite different from the ones he generally encountered. Both were quite confident, fearless, and had a rather sharp mind of their own. They didn't seem to cower beneath anyone. Both were feisty, and these were qualities Klaus respected. Maybe... just maybe, had he remained human...had he had a normal life, he might've been similar.

Before his train of thoughts could wander towards the long forgotten territory of being human, Natasha was back, carrying two steaming mugs of coffee in her hands.

"I figured I could still be hospitable to you..." she said jokingly, and handing Klaus one of the mugs.

"Why thank you..." he said with a mock bow of his head.

Natasha snickered and seated herself on the topmost step and said, "So... continue... I believe you had just mentioned your youngest brother."

Klaus took his seat beside her, and said, "Yes...Henrik...my youngest brother...He was a wonderful child you know... very pleasant and innocent... he was very close to me... used to follow me everywhere." He said donning a despondent manner once again.

"He _was_ ?" Natasha interjected softly.

"Yeah... he was killed... young... defenceless..." he continued, eyes filled with tears.

"I'm so sorry... h-how did...?" Natasha asked, feeling genuinely sad.

"It was...it was an animal attack... w-we'd been to a camping ground and there was a spot that was considered dangerous as it was frequented by ravenous beasts... wild wolves... it was forbidden... yet I wanted to go and see and Henrik being my shadow... followed me..." he said, reinventing his history extempore, to sound more contemporary and human-like, sans supernatural afflictions.

It had been a thousand years since that fateful incident, yet it hurt Klaus like a fresh raw wound whenever he revisited it. He was dejected and angry at the same time. Angry at the wolves, and more so at himself...

"I had thought I could protect him... but I failed... and Henrik... It was my fault... All my fault... He died because of me...In front of my very eyes...mangled by those dastardly beasts..." he continued irately, visibly agitated, a tear streaming down his eye. He soon stopped short to compose himself. His muscles tensed and his grip on the coffee mug was rapidly inching closer to the point when it would shatter to pieces.

Natasha was moved. It was heartbreaking to know a young child had lost his life in such a ghastly accident, and it was plain to see that Nik blamed himself for his baby brother's demise. She could fathom how grave a burden he carried with himself, and how heart wrenching the incident must have been for him.

Out of pure empathy, she spontaneously put a hand on his shoulder and said softly, "I'm so sorry... that was awful... and I know nothing I'll say will make it easier, but please don't blame yourself..."

Klaus seemed to calm down a bit under her touch and due to her words, but he still felt miserable.

"Had I not taken Henrik with me, had I not gone, our lives would have been radically different... that one night changed everything... changed our world...changed us", he continued in barely over a whisper...

Had Henrik not been mauled to death, his parents would probably not have concocted the plan to turn them all into vampires... he wouldn't have been chased by his own father... he wouldn't have had a 1000 years worth of struggles and fights and bloodshed... but... he wouldn't have been so powerful either... he would've been just another mortal, long dead and turned to dust... he wouldn't have been the all pervasive original hybrid... And he had to admit he loved the power he commanded... he loved having the strengths he had... Klaus continued with his warring chain of thoughts, spanning a millennium, while oblivious to these realities, Natasha looked at him with her own perspective, she looked at a hurt man, who had lost his brother and carried that blame on his psyche ever since... she felt bad for him...

After a few moments of heavy silence, Klaus broke out of his trance and said, "I'm sorry...I..."

"Please... it's perfectly okay... I can imagine... but hey... you have the rest of your family for you... that's something to be happy about..." she said, trying to comfort him.

Klaus laughed a dry ironic laughter... "The rest of the family... well yeah... I have bits and pieces of it left..." he said.

Natasha looked at him questioningly, not sure how to react.

"My mother is dead, so is my father... good riddance I'd say... Finn and Kol are also gone, so what remains, is Elijah, Rebekah and I, and I bet they would give anything to have my name on the deceased's list too." He said hysterically; seething, particularly when he mentioned his parents, Elijah and Rebekah.

Natasha was flabbergasted to hear all this. It was crushing to realise that this man had lost nearly all of his family, and that too so early in life, he seemed nearly her age afterall, but for a pampered girl, with doting parents, as she was, it was also incomprehensible and rather revolting to think of how he spoke about his parents. 'Good Riddance ?!' how could he even think so...

"Wait... stop..." she interjected. "I can't tell you how terribly bad I feel for you... how sorry I feel to know of your loss... I understand it must have been fiendishly difficult to cope up with such tragedies... but get a grip on yourself...", "How can you think your siblings would want their own brother dead ? They've lost as much family as you have, and about your parents... are you telling me you're okay _getting rid_ of them ?"

She couldn't find words to complete exactly what she felt.

"Of course I'm relieved I'm rid of them. They were no good... diseased and prejudiced, blind to their own follies... My father hunted me his whole life, not leaving any opportunity to punish me, to make my life miserable, to take from me everything that I ever held dear...and my mother... hah... she was the reason for everything... and yet she never stood by me, never confronted that husband of hers... neither did any of my siblings, they all trembled under him..." Klaus said angrily, nearly grunting in exasperation.

"Your father _hunted_ you? To _punish_ you?... What crime did you do man ? Help Osama burn down the World Trade Centre?" Natasha asked, her acidic snark coming back, as she failed to digest whatever Klaus told her.

"My crime, as I think, was being a bastard..." Klaus said

"What do you mean ?" Natasha asked, surprised.

"My mother... well she had her share of fun in her time... and I am the result of her amusements... turns out she had an affair with a... with a man whose family my father hated... I wasn't his favourite child anyway, I was different from the others, and he was always cross with me, never happy, and once he got to know of my mother's indiscretion, and that I was the bastard, his hatred flew freely and more profoundly..." Klaus said.

He was finding it increasingly difficult to revise his life story to suit Natasha, it was a life fraught with extraordinary circumstances, and hence wasn't easy to mould into a 'normal' perspective. But he didn't want the truth to slip out just yet... she would be petrified...

He went on ranting about how his siblings didn't support him, weren't loyal to him, and wanted to oust him... Natasha heard it all in silence, and though she surmised that Nik was a temperamental and damaged man... and he must have done things to offend his family because they wouldn't likely turn on him for no reason at all, yet she also felt his actions were probably guided by a deep resentment he harboured within himself... the resentment of not belonging, of not winning the adoration of his parents, of being the outcast... and he hadn't let go of this baggage... he probably hadn't grown up inside...

Natasha was brought up as a pampered cocooned child, always surrounded by friends and family, and hence her views towards familial dynamics and parents were quite skewed. She couldn't really believe Nik completely when he spoke of the volatile differences between him and his parents, but she knew he belonged to a broken dysfunctional family, and had a lot of issues, and she sure felt very sympathetic towards him... his story gave her tears too...

She refrained from voicing her thoughts out loud because she guessed this wasn't the right time to show him the mirror... he wasn't in his right elements, and the last thing she wanted was a scene created at her doorstep late at night...

* * *

Klaus said in a low, but calm voice after a pause, "There's going to be another Mikaelson addition soon..."

Natasha didn't understand what he meant, so she just looked on at him.

"I'm soon going to have a child... my own child..." he said with a little fond smile.

Natasha hadn't anticipated that one coming, and though she felt happy for him at his announcement of a baby, yet somewhere she felt a bit taken aback... she couldn't put her finger upon why she felt so... she couldn't realize a reason... was she a bit jealous ?... Nah... that would be nonsense... she just knew him 3 days... it was nothing... her mind had an information overload and so was behaving a bit odd...

Shushing her mind and reigning in her surprise, she said, "Wow... congrats... that's great..."

"You and your girlfriend must be so happy..." she added with a smile.

"Girlfriend ?!" Klaus asked mildly amused

"You don't wear a ring... and I just assumed it wasn't boyfriend... I just conjectured... I'm sorry..." she said kicking herself mentally for putting her foot in her mouth.

Klaus laughed. "Her name's Hayley; and she's what I call a 'liquor fuelled one night stand'", he said, repeating verbatim the phrase he had used the night he came to know of the existence of his child.

"Oh..." Natasha said feeling more awkward than before, unaware of what a proper reaction would be.

"Girlfriend... ", Klaus laughed again... "Well she's on her way to becoming my brother's girlfriend I'd say... she swoons over him... and he on her... I bet she wishes that Elijah was in entirety, her baby's father" he said, his bitterness returning once again.

Natasha couldn't fathom there could be a weirder family than theirs...

"And together they all think I have selfish interests towards wanting my own child... that I am incapable of caring for my own offspring..." he went on.

"But I won't let them take my child away from me... I won't let them feed her with hatred towards me", he said, livid.

Once he was done venting, Klaus sat in silence, head bent down, looking spent, eyes still brimming with tears... the tiny little thought of his had baby made him feel better though, warmed his heart a bit...

"_Her_... it's a girl...?" asked Natasha softly.

"That's what we think...she's a formidable little thing already" he smiled back.

She could see the mention of his unborn daughter made his visage change subtly. He seemed infused with a certain tenderness... pride, even... and Natasha found it really endearing, and smiled tenderly looking at Nik.

"She'll be amazing", she said.

* * *

Klaus looked at her, sitting beside him, and realized she had been the only one in a while, who had listened him out... he knew she had her own outlook on him, and that parts of his story had miffed her, made her exasperated, she might even have been feeling more wary of him, but still... she had heard him... yes, he had left out vital chunks of information, yet Klaus felt, that when the time came, (if the time came), she would probably hear out his real story too...

He was looking at her face and thinking on his own, when he noticed Natasha yawn a little. He chuckled and realised it was time to take leave, to be fair to her.

"Someone's expecting a visit from Wee Willie Winkie soon... don't let me keep you past your bedtime little girl..." Klaus said in his cheerful manner.

A now slightly groggy Natasha snickered, and stifling another yawn said, "Practising your fathering skills on me?"

Klaus laughed again, and they both stood up as Natasha continued... "It indeed is time to go sleep... I cannot keep my eyes open anymore..."

"Thank you for your company Natasha... I enjoy it." He said sincerely.

"Oh everyone does... I'm delightful" she joked.

"You're welcome anyway..."

"I must admit I was a bit selfish tonight in coaxing you away from your _bosom friend_...I reckon I wanted to spend some time with you" he said, not failing to tease Natasha every time by his hidden references to Mike.

Natasha rolled her eyes as the tease wasn't lost on her.

"Rest assured, I'm not letting you coax me into anything again..." she replied.

"Will I see you again soon?" Klaus asked.

"Maybe... Maybe not" Natasha teased with a smirk, "But you know, this thing... us running into each other and then having fairly long graveyard shift chats...it's getting repetitive... So next time can it please be in daylight? And in tad more normal circumstances? Oh and not involving anyone drunk please?" she quipped.

"So there will be a next time..." said Klaus with a tantalizing half smile.

"I meant IF there is a next time..." Natasha defended herself.

"And how am I to reach you IF there is to be a next time ? Spy on you ? knock at your door ? Follow Mike ?" he ribbed again.

"Well... first... if I see you following me or camping out here I'll consider getting a restraining order against you... and second... we'll meet if we're meant to..." she said sassily, with a smirk.

Klaus laughed at her response and said, "A believer in destiny I see..."

"Yup...indeed" she said, and stifled another yawn soon after.

"March to your bed now young lady... Be a good girl" Klaus continued his repartee.

Natasha smiled and bid him a goodnight, and turned to enter her house.

Klaus walked down the steps to leave, when he heard Natasha's voice...

Her head was peeking out of a half closed door, long ponytail hanging by the side of her face. With a playful smile she said, "Oh and by the way... I don't dislike you... not yet at least..." she winked and closed the door, disappearing inside...

A smile reappeared on Klaus's lips... He headed towards his original mansion, his reclaimed home, with a warmth settling inside of him... the warmth which issued from a strong glimmer of hope... because he knew, there would be a next time... and it would be soon...


End file.
